FOR WHEN TEARS WON'T STOP
A Centering Prayer Inspired by Psalm 126
The tears keep coming these days—when I hear about another attack on my beloved marginalized siblings, when I watch democracy erode, when I think about how many of my friends are living in fear. As a pastor, I carry not just my own grief, but the weight of so many stories shared in holy confidence, so many fears whispered over coffee or through tears.
But I keep coming back to this ancient psalm that knows something about tears and hope. Not in a "everything happens for a reason" kind of way, but in this deep truth that our tears of compassion aren't wasted. That when we weep for justice, when our hearts break for the vulnerable, we're participating in love's long work of transformation. Even here—especially here—in these scary, uncertain times, Love keeps showing up, doing the quiet work of healing and hope.
FOR WHEN TEARS WON'T STOP
A Centering Prayer Inspired by Psalm 126
Love That Holds My Tears,
Sometimes hope feels far away,
Like dreams I once knew,
Like joy I can't quite remember.
I'm standing in these fields,
Watering soil with my weeping,
Wondering if anything good
Can grow from so much grief.
Help me remember how you work:
How tears become seeds,
How laughter finds its way back,
How love keeps showing up
In the most surprising places.
Even here, especially here,
New life is taking root.
Let me trust this deeper truth:
That my tears are not wasted,
That joy will come again,
That love is still growing
Even when I can't see it.
Until my heart overflows
With holy laughter,
With songs of liberation,
With the joy of belonging.
Amen.
